Google is about to update its Google Docs with mobile editing on iPad and Android. This will enable seamless collaboration between desktop and mobile workers running the cloud office suite on their iPad or Android-driven devices.

On-the-go folks will also enjoy greater security when the search company rolls out a two-step sign-in that combines something you already know (your Google Account credentials) with something you posses (a smartphone app that generates unique codes for the second phase of the sign-in process). Google’s enterprise president Dave Girouard announced the upcoming feature in a blog post Monday:

We’re launching new cloud-powered capabilities: two-step verification to help enhance security and soon, mobile editing in Google Docs on Android and the iPad.

He promised Google will roll out mobile editing “in the next few weeks.” The search firm has said that three million businesses have gone Google – that is, switched to the Google Apps service that hosts a bunch of cloud services like Google Docs and Gmail on a custom domain at a fraction of the price of traditional desktop and server enterprise solutions. Currently, the Apps platform enjoys over 30 million users worldwide, Google claims.

Note: The above image is a mockup of desktop Google Docs on an iPad, not the real thing.

Christian’s Opinion

Having been waiting for this since iPad came out in April, I’m surprised it took nearly six months to implement mobile editing. I hope this will include spreadsheets and presentations, not just documents. Mobile editing means a lot for the people like me who are living in the cloud. It’s a Godsend upgrade – not only will I be able to edit my online documents on the go, but the automatic syncing will ensure I retain my stuff in case my device gets stolen.

This announcement should also put some pressure on Apple to discount its multitouch iWork office suite. Apple sells Numbers, Pages, and Keynote for iPad at $10 a pop, bringing the total to $30 for this viable Office alternative. Those programs are at the top of the paid iPad apps chart despite their steep price point, which highlights our appetite for mobile productivity software on portable devices.